Timbers Announce First 7-a-side Open Women's Winter League.Today the Timbers announced a new women's league set up in association with PGE Park and Umbro. The games will run from Sunday Feb 3rd (first game at 1pm) to March 17th and will feature 6 teams open to U-16 players and older.
[see the link above for full schedule]

NEW - Timberlog Guide to SyriaDiscover some interesting facts about Fadi Afash's homeland and find out why Timber Jim can always land himself a job as a Saint if his current one as Timbers' mascot ever ends!

Greg Howes Helps Keep Milwaukee AheadTimber Greg Howes is currently playing his part in keeping the Milwaukee Wave in top position in the MISL. Two goals in a recent 11-4 win over Philadelphia was the Wave's 5th win in a row and lifted Howes into the MISL's overall point leader table (3, 3-point goals, 11, 2-point goals and 12 assists)

Timbers sign Hugo AlcarazReported in the Oregonian this morning, the Timbers have signed midfielder Alcaraz who played for the San Diego Flash last year.

In his rookie season with the Flash in 2001, Alcaraz, a native of Mexico, was fourth on the team in scoring. He compiled 15 points on six goals (including the game winner in San Diego's 2-1 win over the Timbers in September) and three assists in 18 matches with San Diego. Alcaraz was named to the A-League Team of the Week once during the season as well.

“I’m very excited to join the Timbers for the upcoming season,” said Alcaraz, a collegiate standout at Fresno State prior to joining the professional ranks. “I look forward to working hard and contributing to the team. I am anxious to get preseason underway and work with my new teammates and coaching staff.”

At Fresno State, Alcaraz, 25, was named team MVP during his senior year in 1999 and was selected to the Western Athletic Conference’s First Team at season’s end.

“Hugo is an exciting young player,” Howe said. “His pace and dribbling ability bring another dimension to our team.”

Alcaraz will arrive in Portland in March and plans to be an active part of the Timbers’ community relations programs and Portland’s soccer community.

“The Timbers have a tremendous soccer atmosphere with great fan support and a top-notch stadium,” Alcaraz added.

The A-League Player Draft will be held Wednesday, Feb. 13 via conference call. The Timbers have the 13th pick in this year’s draft, which goes three rounds, each of the league’s 18 teams are limited to a “territorial pick” in the first round, meaning it can only draft a player from a college or high school in its Draft Territory (which for the Timbers is just the state of Oregon). The second and third rounds of the draft are not territorial and while expansion Calgary is afforded the first pick in this year’s draft, the remaining order is based on reverse league standings from the 2001 season.

After a report this morning that the Richmond Kickers have eschewed planes, trains and pack-mules for the delights of the Kickermobile (a special special truck-trailer rig, 55 feet long, sleeping 26 with a galley, ice chest, storage, video and satellite equipment), the timberlog figures that the Timbers need a similar mode of transport, albeit more in keeping with their "Oregon Style".

After the untimely death recently of Oregon hero Ken Kesey, why not co-opt the Merry Pranksters bus "Further"!

Darren Sawatzky to join SoundersFormer Timber Darren Sawatzky will be returning to PGE Park next season...but not in Portland's green, black and white. Darren will be playing for the Seattle Sounders in the 2002 A-League season after returning to Washington to take up a coaching job. He recently departed the Kansas City Comets MISL team after being unsatisfied with his performance indoor.

"Things weren't working out perfect here," said Sawatzky, who had been playing outdoor soccer until the Comets signed him for this season. "Indoor is a different game. I have a new respect for indoor soccer. I hear outdoor players talking trash about indoor players, but there's some players here that can really play the game."

Darren has taken a job as director of coaching at Highline Soccer Association in Seattle.

Timbers get D3 Pro League's most valuable playerConfirmation from the Oregonian this morning that the Timbers have indeed signed Syrian-born Fadi Afash from the Utah Blitzz to a 1-year contract. 27-year-old Afash, a former Syrian national team member, scored 19 goals for the Blitzz in the 2001 season (with 4 assists in 14 matches, 2 away from the league's scoring record) earning him the D3 Pro League's MVP award. The previous year he scored 15 goals for the Stanislaus United Cruisers (in 18 games, out of his team's total of 29) earning the D3 Rookie of the Year award.

"His performances during the last two years have made him the talk of the league," Timbers coach Bobby Howe said. "He is clearly an outstanding goal scorer and an entertaining player."

Afash will officially join the Timbers April 1, 2002, as he is still under contract with the Sacramento Knights of the World Indoor Soccer League where he is playing in his second indoor season.
Afash began his career playing for Al Ittihad in the Syrian First Division. His amateur experience includes 25 goals and 46 caps with the Syrian National Team and four years playing for the Syrian Army Team, Al Jaish.
It is reported that Afash turned down a chance to sign with the Los Angeles Galaxy of the MLS.

NEW! - 10 Questions - Bobby Howe (Timbers Head Coach)Timbers Head Coach Bobby Howe was kind enough to take time out and answer some questions about last year, the forthcoming season and his views on soccer in the US, in what now looks like a regular feature...in other words i've done it twice!

2002 Fixtures ReleasedThe Timbers 2002 campaign starts with a home opener against the Seattle Sounders on Saturday May 4th, the Sounders playing host to the Timbers the next day (5th May). The Timbers schedule sees them playing 6 weekend games (Friday, Sat, or Sunday), 6 "Thirsty Thursday" games, 1 Tuesday and 1 Wednesday game. The 2002 regular season ends with a home/away series with Vancouver. In addition to games against last years foes, the Timbers will be playing the Indiana Blast, the Cincinnati Riverhawks and the Calgary Storm as part of the Western Conference and also the Montreal Impact, the Hampton Road Mariners and the Richmond Kickers as out-of-conference opponents.

The A-league will have a two-conference, four-division alignment for the 18-team league and a conference playoff format.

The Eastern Conference will be comprised of the Montreal Impact, Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Rochester Raging Rhinos and Toronto Lynx in the Northeast Division and the Atlanta Silverbacks, Charleston Battery, Charlotte Eagles, Hampton Roads Mariners and Richmond Kickers in the Southeast.

The Cincinnati Riverhawks, Indiana Blast, Milwaukee Rampage and Minnesota Thunder will play in the Central Division of the Western Conference while the Calgary Storm, El Paso Patriots, Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders and Vancouver Whitecaps make up the Pacific Division.

As for the playoffs:

The two-leg, aggregate score playoff format will return for the third consecutive season in 2002 to narrow the 12-team playoff field down to two for the A-League Championship match scheduled for the weekend of September 27-29. Each conference bracket will be comprised of six clubs, the top two from each division and two conference wild cards. The two divisional champions will be seeded first and second in each conference bracket according to regular season points and receive a bye to the Second Round. Conference seeds 3-6, based on regular season points, will face one another in the First Round, scheduled to begin the week of September 4.